Rail vibrating machine

ABSTRACT

A machine to vibrate railroad rail includes a vehicle movable along the rail and supporting a spring-loaded vibratory shoe which engages the upper surface of the rail. The spring loading may be adjusted to control the intensity of the vibration imparted to the rail.

United States Patent 1 Byrne 1 Oct. 23, 1973 RAIL VIBRATING MACHINE [76] inventor: Melvin E. Byrne, 1173 S. 21st East,

Salt Lake City, Utah 84108 22 Filed: Jan. 3, 1972 21 Appl. No.: 214,756

[52] US. Cl 104/1, 104/9, 104/12 [51] Int. Cl EOlb 29/16' [58] Field of Search 104/2, 3, 6, 9, 7, 104/1, 12

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Bodine l04/9 Schenkir 104/12 Anderson et al. 104/12 Primary ExaminerGerald M. Forlenza Assistant.Examiner Richard A. Bertsch Attorney-Austin P. Dodge et al.

' 57 ABSTRACT A machine to vibrate railroad rail includes a vehicle movable along the rail and supporting a spring-loaded vibratory shoe which engages the upper surface of the rail. The spring loading may be adjusted to control the intensity of the vibration imparted to the rail.

4 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures I PATENTED [IN 2 3 I975 SHEET 10F 2 1 RAIL VIBRATING MACHINE CROSS-REFERENCE TO COPENDING APPLICATION BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION.

Practice of the rail laying method disclosed in application Ser. No. 181,105 requires that the rail be vibrated while it is being laid. The vibration of the rail is I for the purpose of freeing it from the frictional restraint imposed by the tie plates on which it rests prior to being spiked in place. According to the method disclosed in the prior application the rail is to be laid stress-free on the tie plates while at a predetermined temperature higher than the mean ambient temperature at the geographic location of the laying operation.

THE INVENTION This invention concerns a machine devised to impart the desired vibration to the rail. This machineincludes a vehicle movable along the rail to be vibrated. The vehicle carries an elongated shoe which can be placed in contact with the rail. The shoe is biased against the rail by springmeans and the spring loading may be adjusted so asto hold the shoe against the rail with the desired force. The shoe carries a vibrator which reacts through the shoe onto the rail to cause it to vibrate.

The vehicle may include two rail engaging shoes, one to engage each rail of a railrodtrack. Ordinarily the shoes are independently used, though both may be operated simultaneously.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is shown in somewhatsimplified form in the attached drawings in which FIG. 1 is a side elevation of the machine.

FlG 2 is a end view of the machine.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a hydraulic circuit incorporated in the machine.

The machine includes a vehicle comprisinga wheeled platform 11 movable along the rail '12. Reference numeral 13 designatesa space enclosed by dotdash lines in FIG. 1 and in which are located an operators station, a propulsion engine, pump means driven thereby and control valves. The pump means supplies fluid under pressure to a hydrostatic drive for the vehicle and also to a fluid motor operated vibrator and either or both of a pair hydraulic rams.

Two pairs of vertical guideways 14 and 15 extend upward from the front edge. The upper ends of these guideways 14 and 15 are connected by a transverse beam 16. A pair of inclined beams 17 extend upward one from each side of the platformll and are secured to transverse beam 16. A pair of fluid pressure actuated rams 18 and 19 are connected one to the upper end of each beam 17.

Slides 21 and 22 are slidable along guideways 14 and 15 respectively. These slides 21 and 22 are mirror duplicates. Slide 21 comprises main transverse members 23 and 24 which pass respectively in front of and behind the pair of guideways 14. It will be understood that appropriate guide bearings (not illustrated) are provided between the frame members 23 and 24 and each guideway 14. Longitudinal members'25 and 26 extend forward from the ends of members 23 and 24. A front transverse member 27 is connected between the outer ends of members 25 and 26. A transverse channel 28 (see FIG. 1) interconnects members 25 and 26 and the rod 29 of ram 18 is connected thereto.

Bow leaf springs 31 and 32 are connected at their midpoints above and below the transverse member 27. Springs 31 and 32 are connected to a rail engaging shoe 33.The connecting linkage includes side plates 34 the ends of which are connected to shoe 33 through'rubber shock absorbing mounts 35. Yoke members 36 extend upward from the side plates 34. The upper end of yoke member 36 are connected to the centers of plates 37 which interconnect the outer ends of leaf springs 31 and 32. Cylindrical rubber vibration dampeningmeans are provided in the connections between the yoke 36 and plates 37 and between the plates 37 and the ends of springs 31 and 32.

A vibrator unit 38 is mounted on the upper surface of shoe 33. This unit 38 (see FIG. 2) includes hydraulic motor 39 and a housing '41 which encloses a weight mounted eccentrically on the shaft on the shaft of motor 39.

FIG. 3 shows a hydraulic circuit which includes rams 18 and 19 and motors 39 of the vibrator units 38. Pump means P supplies fluid through valves 41, 42, and 43 to motors 44 and 39. The motors 39 are the motors of vibrator units 38 and each can be energized or idle depending upon the position of the energizing valve 41 or 42. Motor 44 is the motor unit of a hydrostatic transmission device and may be driven in either direction or 45, 46 has raise and lower position to cause the desired ram movement. H

Both pump P, and P are driven by the propulsion engine. The engine pumps P, and P and valves 41, 42, 43 and 45 and 46 are located in space 13 (see FIG. 1) convenient to the operators station.

OPERATION Ordinarily the vehicle operates on only one rail of the track at a time though its utility is not so limited. In use in the laying operation one rail will be spiked in place and the other will be resting on the tie plates and, will not have been spiked in place. The unspiked rail has one end connected to and aligned with an adjoining rail section which has been spiked in place. The vibrating machine is driven from the completed section onto the section to be laid. That shoe 18 or 19 which is above the unspiked rail is moved downward to engage the upper face of the rail. Assuming vehicle 11 is moving from left to right in FIG. 1, and that the right hand rail 12 is unspiked, ram 18 will be pressurized. Pump P generates a pressure which is variable. A pressure range of from 200 to 400 psi with .a ram area of about five square inches has proven adequate in applicants experience. The complete machine weighs about 4,000 pounds. As the vibrating machine moves further along the rail, a temperature adjusting unit is moved onto the same section of rail and the rail is either heated or cooledto create a desired rail temperature. The temperature adjustment causes the length of the section to change. The vibration of the rail ahead of this section frees the remainder of the rail from restraint by the tie plates so that this change of length can occur. The rail is spiked in place after passage of the temperature adjusting unit.

The vibrating machine described herein produces vibrations which are easily detectable 400 feet in advance of the machine and are believed to travel the full length of the rail with sufficient intensity to permit the rail to move on the tie plates. The frequency of the vibration varies fromabout 33 cycles per second to about 40 cycles per second.

The machine can also be used to relieve stress in rail which has been in use. It is believed that track laying techniques used in the past resulted in the rail being laid withstress unevenly distributed therein. Thus such rail may be loosened by removing rail anchors and at least'partially withdrawing the spikesv Vibration of the loosened section, its opposite ends being held in place by the adjoining rail sections and by unloosened spikes in the end regions, will permit the rail to move on its tie plates whereby the stress distribution will be rendered i more uniform. Both rails of a track may be simultaneously adjusted during such stress adjustment, and it is partly for this reason that the present machine includes two vibrating assemblies. Two vibrating assemblies are also provided, because it is preferred toapply vibration to the rail between the vehicle and the free (unspiked) end thereof. It is possible to impart vibrations .to the rail beneath the vehicleor behind it. These alternate arrangementsare inferior because the vibrations will be severely damped by the weight of the vehicle.

lclaim:

1. A machine for vibrating railroad rail comprising:

a. a rail-carried vehicle;

b. an elongated shoe adapted to engage the upper surface of the rail;

c. vibratory means mounted centrally of the shoe and acting to cause rail vibration in a vertical plane alined with the rail; I

d. a vertical guidway on the vehicle;

e. a slide assembly movable along the guideway;

f. spring means in said vertical plane reacting between said assembly and the opposite ends of the shoes; and i g. means to position the assembly on the guideway so as to load thespring, whereby the shoe is held in engagement with the rail.

2. The machine defined in claim 1 in which said spring means comprises:

a. bow leaf spring means, extending in the direction of the rails and connected, at its midpoint, to said assebly and, at its ends, to the corresponding'ends of said shoe.

3. The machine defined in claim 1; and a. a propulsion engine to drive the vehicle along the track while the vibratory means is in operation.

4. The machine defined in claim 3, in which said vibratory means comprises:

a. a rotary hydraulic motor mounted on the shoe b. a weight eccentrically mounted on a shaft driven by the motor, said weight moving in said vertical, plane; and

c. a pump carried by the vehicle, driven by said engine and hydraulically connected with said motor to form a hydrostatic transmission. 

1. A machine for vibrating railroad rail comprising: a. a rail-carried vehicle; b. an elongated shoe adapted to engage the upper surface of the rail; c. vibratory means mounted centrally of the shoe and acting to cause rail vibration in a vertical plane alined with the rail; d. a vertical guideway on the vehicle; e. a slide assembly movable along the guideway; f. spring means in said vertical plane reacting between said assembly and the opposite ends of the shoe and g. means to position the assembly on the guideway so as to load the spring, whereby the shoe is held in engagement with the rail.
 2. The machine defined in claim 1 in which said spring means comprises: a. bow leaf spring means, extending in the direction of the rails and connected, at its midpoint, to said assembly and, at its ends, to the corresponding ends of said shoe.
 3. The machine defined in claim 1; and a. a propulsion engine to drive the vehicle along the track while the vibratory means is in operation.
 4. The machine defined in claim 3, in which said vibratory means comprises: a. a rotary hydraulic motor mounted on the shoe b. a weight eccentrically mounted on a shaft driven by the motor, said weight moving in said vertical, plane; and c. a pump carried by the vehicle, driven by said engine and hydraulically connected with said motor to form a hydrostatic transmission. 